


Not Sure If Breakthrough

by ErinPtah



Series: Fake News Drabbles and Ficlets [7]
Category: Fake News FPF
Genre: Couples Counseling, M/M, Married Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-28
Updated: 2012-06-28
Packaged: 2017-12-08 08:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/759257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinPtah/pseuds/ErinPtah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from kribban: The personal notes of Jon and "Stephen's" marriage counselor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Sure If Breakthrough

**Patient 1** _____J. Stewart (49)___________  
 **Patient 2** _____S. Colbert (47)___________  
 **Length of marriage** ___2 yrs 4 mos____  
 **Issues** ____ ~~Infertility~~ Constant conflict___

 

 **Week #** __1__  
Talked subjects thru standard forms. S completely filled "other information" space with accusations - unsettling. J wrote, quote, "If he writes anything here that sounds too weird to be true, it probably is. You'll get used to it."

Professional duty: no taking sides. Remember, abusers often sabotage credibility of victims.

However, admit to struggling w/legitimacy of "summons mice to cupboards w/telekinetic pwrs just to annoy me."

 

 **Week #** __2__  
J: "Every time something works out, you take all the credit. Every time things go wrong, it's somehow my fault."  
S: "Exactly! Don't you feel better now that you've admitted it?"

Re-evaluated considerations re: abuse. Encouraged J to employ reality testing. Reply: "I'm not the one disconnected from reality here!" Encouraged J to take deep breaths.

 

 **Week #** __4__  
Tried to instill habit of I-statements.

S: "When I get yelled at for cutting up curtains to make a fashion show for my Emmys, I feel slighted and unappreciated. And so do my Emmys."  
J: "When I hear that my opinions are less important than the fashion sensibilities of a chunk of nickel-copper alloy, I feel like dumping them in the Hudson."  
S: "When I hear my sense of self-actualization invalidated with such judgmental blah blah other therapy words, I wonder why I married such a meaniehead."

 

 **Week #** __6__  
S spent entire session crying. Professional estimate: 82.7% crocodile tears.

 

 **Week #** __9__  
Priorities exercise. J: "If I could change just one thing about our relationship, it would be that Stephen would stop accusing me of plotting against, attacking, and/or secretly hating him every time I ask him not to do something."  
S: "Is this another of your gambits to stifle my freedom of self-expression?"

S: "If I could change just one thing about our relationship, it would be that Jon would come home early more often."  
J: "It would? Stephen, I didn't realize...if that's what you want, sure. I can do that. It'll take some arranging, and it won't work out every day, but a couple days a week? I can swing that."  
S: "Really?"  
J: "Yes, babe. Really."  
S: "Awesome! In that case, the new just one thing I would change is that Jon would let me get a pet elephant."

 

 **Week #** _11__  
J: "Dammit, maybe I want to be the irresponsible one sometimes!"  
S: "Well if you want me to be in charge, why don't you just say so? Is it because you don't trust me?"  
J: "It's because last time you were in charge of something you nearly stole an election and I ended up crashing a zeppelin!"  
S: "Now that is not fair. Just because I've crashed eight pre-World-War-I aircraft to date doesn't mean it's _my_ fault the one time _you_ crash one!"

Not sure if breakthrough?

 

 **Week #** __14_  
Attempted to explore possible areas for repair in sexual connection. J and S both uncomfortable, unwilling to share. Reminded them that office is safe space, practice sex-positive & kink-positive. S turned red, J started sweating.

Note: explore this further.

_Addendum, same evening. Just got a phone message from J. Paraphrase -- "At home we hardly ever fight, resolve most disagreements in good humor. Your office only place we argue. Afterward, go straight home & engage in rough angry sex &/or tender comfort sex depending on content of session. Fantastic either way. Point is, sex life excellent, no room for improvement. Hope this does not affect progress of counseling."_

_Of course not. $100s/hr not to sniff at. Future plan of treatment: memorize handful of stock phrases; interject at key points during S+J conversation; use remainder of session time to work on novel._


End file.
